Every salesperson has their thing. Some people have a smile that charms even the most unwilling of buyers while other people have witty personalities that entertain the customer is buying. The problem is that those traits can’t be taught. You can teach someone to have a winning smile if the car salesman you’re trying to teach doesn’t smile--it would come off as not genuine. You also can’t teach someone to change their personality. They’re either a happy, smiley, or witty person, or they’re not. Some people think that only people will the cookie-cutter salesman attitude can make a good salesperson, but that’s simply not true. Anyone can make a good sales person with the right tools.

1. Make the Customer be the Hero

If you’re telling a classic story, there’s always a hero. In the story that you tell your customer, make them the hero. Don’t play out the cards as if the car you’re trying to sell is the hero that needs a sidekick. Explain to the customer why they need that car as their sidekick. You want to place emphasis on the customer and make sure that by the end of your conversation, your customer feels as if their brilliant. Any price drop that you make or any bundle that you include, make sure that it feels as if you’re only including because your customer convinced you to (even if you were going to include it anyway). If the customer feels like they’re the hero of the story, they’ll feel more confident in their decisions and be more likely to stick with their purchase.

2. Always be Closing

You want to use the ABCs constantly while you’re talking with a customer. But you want to do it without giving it away that you’re always closing them. If you use the same close over and over again, the customer will likely become annoyed with you. If you say, “Now, this vehicle comes with a full warranty if you’d like it. Would you like me to include that?” And the customer says yes, then you know that you can move on to the next step. “Great,” (never sounds overly excited), “Let’s move inside and I can show you some of the discounts I can apply for you.” Moving like that will give you a smooth transition from one close to the next without repeating yourself over and over again. By the end of your conversation with the customer, they should be ready to walk out of the dealership with a car loan, any pool loans, half a zoo, and feel satisfied with their purchase. Your closes should be so subtle and so smooth that your customer feels like pudding in your hands.

3. Find Common Ground

It is so important that you find common ground with your customer. If they don’t feel a connection with you, then they won’t buy from you. It can be that simple. The nice thing about selling cars is that it isn’t all cold calls. If someone walks into your dealership, they already know that they want a car. Your job is to show them which one. Since they’re not a cold call though, you’re convincing them less on the product and more of whether they like you. People are extremely unlikely to buy from people that they have nothing in common with or from people that they simply don’t like. If you want the sale, be likable, or the person is likely to move onto the next dealership. The best way to be liked is to find something that you both have in common. As you sit down to chat, or as you walk them around the dealership, small talk. Ask them where they grew up and act excited about the similarities that you find with them. Let them feel that you’re happy and excited to be talking with them.

If you use these three techniques, you will see sales and more profit from your work. People want to feel important (like a hero), they always need to be closed, and they need to feel like they have something in common with you. If you accomplish those, then you’ll soon be known as one of the best salesmen there are.